The development and remodeling of vessels is a crucial process in many physiological and
pathophysiological processes making it topic of in-depth research in laboratories all around
the world. Vascular occlusive diseases are head of death causing aliments in industrialized
countries. Growth of collateral arteries (arteriogenesis) bypassing a site of stenosis is the
most relevant naturally occurring adaptive process protecting tissue from ischemic injury and
death. The main research interest of the group around E. Deindl is the identification of the
molecular pathways of arteriogenesis from increased mechanical load – the trigger of
collateral growth - to cell proliferation. In detail, we are studying how physical forces are
translated into biological signals, how these signals are propagated within a cell, finally
resulting in cell proliferation, as well as how signals are transmitted from cell to cell
(i.e. from endothelial cells to smooth muscle cells).0